Sociological Images, an activist academic blog I frequent, today featured the “fake” historic landmark signs posted by Norm Magnusson as part of his I-75 Project. The I-75 is an American interstate highway that begins at the Canadian border in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and stretches 1,175 miles (1 891 km) through the conservative heartland of America. Along this lonely road, there are about 50 rest stops, and it us Magnussen’s intent to post his “art of social conscience” at every single one of them.

Here are some examples:

From the artist:

“The types of people who stop to read them are collectively defined more by their curiosity about the world around them than they are by any shared ideological leanings, which makes them a perfect audience for a carefully crafted message. And unlike most artworks on social or political themes, these markers don’t merely speak to the small group of viewers that seek out such work in galleries and museums; instead, they gently insert themselves into the public realm … These markers are just the kind of public art I really enjoy: gently assertive and non-confrontational, firmly thought-provoking and pretty to look at and just a little bit subversive.”